Control for spot-lights



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CONTROL FOR SPOT LIGHTS. APPLICATION FI-LED DEC- 5, 1918.

Patented Mam mm 2 suzms-smzm 2.

INVE NTUR EWMAN Maw w. MAYO. CONTROL FOR SPUT LI ems. APPucATmN mm DEC- 5, 191a.

Patented Mar. 23, 1929.,

2 SHEETS-$HEET l- INVENTUR JAM Mam A TTORNE VS 7 automobile,

WILLIAM MAYO, OF SAN FRANCISCO, GALIFORNIA.

CU'NTItUL FOR. SPOT-LIGI-I'lllfi.

taaneee.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, lh fib Application filed December 5, 1.913. Serial lilo. seal-at;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MAYO, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have made a new and useful invention-to wit, lmprovement in llontrol for Spot-Lights; andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description of the same.

The present invention is an improved control for spot-lights commonly carried on automobiles, pleasure launches, steamers, and other conveyances.

The object of the invention is to provide a convenient means within the pilot house, cockpit or body of the vehicle or conveyance for manipulating an out-side spotlight either vertically or horizontally, or both, to throw its glare in the path of the moving conveyance. A further object is to provide a control for spotlights of such construction that said light will normally be carried in a position in which its rays will be thrown in the path of the moving conveyance, but which may be instantly and easily altered to suit any conditions arising in forward travel. lln the structure hereinafter described, the control of both the horizontal and vertical movements is accomplished by handles or levers, both of which are conveniently placed where the pilot ordriver may make the aforesaid adjustment.

While the invention is here shown on an it is equally applicable to the of a pleasure boat or the pilot house or may be used on wharves, buildings where cockpit of a steamer, bridges, or other stationary spotlights are used.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a closed automobile equipped with my improved spotlight control thereon.

Fig. 2 is a cap for covering a portion of the mechanism hereinafter descrlbed.

Fig. 3 is side elevation of an extensible bracket, forming a support and bearing for the working parts of my spotlight control.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevationof a cap covering the handles or controls of my device, portions being broken away for the purposes of illustration.

Fig. 6 is a section of Fig. 5 taken on line Vll- Vl of Fig. 5..

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the working parts the of my control installed on the bracket shown ,in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 8 1s a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentaryview of the interior of a cap covering the handle of the control showing a lever latch for engaging said handles when in inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates one of the forward wheels of an automobile of conventional closed body type having; a radiator 2, hood 3, cowl 4L- and closed body 6. Extending forwardly and obliquely through the cowl 4: as shown at 7 is a metal cap 8 which incloses those portions of my mechanism which extend out side the cowl when it is installed. The portions within the closed body of the car are completely housed in a cap 9 throughslots in which extend handles which control a lamp 13 mounted outside the body. The working parts of my device are mounted on an extensible bracket composed of two parts 1e. and 14* which are joined together in tongue and groove relation, and slidable to or from each other as may be necessary to meet various conditions in installation. The members 14 and 14 of the bracket are held together in any desired position by a set screw 16 which extends freely through the member 1 1 as shown at 17 and is threaded into the member 1 as shown at 18. The members 14 and 14% have base portions on which are bosses 19 and 21 respectively, which are centrally bored as shown at 23-23 to form bearings for stud shafts 26 and 27. The stud shaft 27 extends upwardly from the base of the bracketl l and is provided with a nut 31 threaded on a reduced portion of the said stud shaft, and a nut 29 at the opposite end of said shaft. The stud shaft 26 is integral with a bracket 33. To the uppermost bifurcated end of bracket 33 are secured two bearings 34- and 36 in which are journaled ends of a shaft 37. The cross shaft 37 is provided with a ring 88 between the ends of,.the bracket 33. The purpose of the ring "38 is to engage the stem 39 of the lamp 13. It will be seen that as the shaft 37 is revoluble in the bearings 34-36, the lamp 13 may be rotated vertically as indicated by the dotted line d1. In order to accomplish this movement, 1 have provided a segmental bevel gear 40 which is rigidly secured to the cross shaft 37. It is necessary to rotate the lamp 13 only through an angle of approximately 90 degrees, therefore the gear 40 is segmental and meshes with a toothed portion of the periphery of a bevel gear 42 which is unfinished through the remainder of said a periphery. The shaft 26 is hollow as indicated by the dotted line 43 in the passage.therethrough of wire 44 which supplies the bevel gear 42 is order to allow an electric light lamp 13. The .rigidly connected to a sprocketwheel 46 which turns freely on the shaft 26. Also on the shaft 26 and fixedly keyed thereto is a sprocket wheel 47.

It will be seen from this construction that when the sprocket wheel 47 is rotated, the entire upper structure including the light 13 is rotated on a horizontal plane and that if the sprocket wheel 47 is held and the sprocket wheel 46.1'otated, that the bevel gear 42 by being enmeshed with the segmental gear 40 will rotate the cross shaft 37 and will cause the rotation on a vertical plane of the lamp 13.

The sprocket wheels 46 and 47 are rotated respectively by means of chains 48 and 49 which also pass around sprocket wheels 51 and- 52 both of which rotate freely on the shaft27. The sprocket wheels 51 and 52 are provided respectively with handles 53-54 which extend through the housing cap 9 and traverse slots 56-57. The cap 9 is alsoprovided with a slot 58 which ermits the assembly of this device by allowlng the cap to slip downward over the handles before they are rotated to the position shown in Fig. 7. The sprocket wheels 51 and 52 are provided with anti-friction ball bearings 60-61 which travel in suitable raceways in the boss 21 and in a bearin plate 62. The bearing plate 62 is held in p ace by washer 63 secured by nut 29. In order that the weight of the lamp 13 may not cause the rotation of the sprocket within the housing, 1 have provided a latch 65 which is pivotally secured to the outside of the cap 9 as shown at 66. The latch 65 is provided with a slot 67; through which extends the pin 68 which limits the vertical movement of the latch 65. The said latch upward by a wire spring 69, one end of which is engaged in a hole 71 in the end cap 9; the opposite end bears, as shown at 65 is normally held 72, against the lower end of the latch. The

latch 65 is provided with two semi-circular notches 73 and 74' for engaging the handles 53 and 54 and is also provided with a thumb engaging portion 7 6. This structure makes it possible for a driver to reach with one hand and operate the levers 53 and 54 and release the latch 76 with the thumb of the same hand, giving control of the lamp 13 in both horizontal and vertical planes, \vhile steering with the other hand.

This device is of special value on limousines and closed body When used on automobiles, it is more often necessary to rotate the lamp 13 on a horizontal plane than on the vertical, as in ordinary travel when once set vertically at the proper distance ahead of the vehicle, it may be left in that position and rotated horizontally to light curves and objects in the roadway.

By tightening the nuts 29 and 31 a frictional engagement may be maintained between the sprocket wheels 51 and 52 which is suflicient to, hold the vertical rotating means in the same relative position to the horizontal means.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:

A spot light control comprising a base, said base being formed of two sections slidable one upon the other and held in adjusted position by a bolt, bosses upon each of said base sections, a shaft mounted upon one of said bosses, sprocket wheels mounted upon said shaft, a cover for said sprocket wheels, a handle attached to each of said sprocket wheels and adapted to impart rotation to either wheel independently, a latch attached to said cover and adapted to engage said handles, a shaft mounted upon the boss carried by the opposite section of said base, sprocket wheels mounted upon said shaft and having flexible connection with said first mentioned sprocket wheels, a gear carried by the upper of said last mentioned sprocket wheels, a vertical bracket, a lamp carried by said bracket, trunnions carried by said bracket, said lamp being rotatable on said trunnions, a segmental gear connected to said bracket in mesh with said gear and said bracket being connected to the lower of said last mentioned sprocket wheels.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 14th day of November, 1918.

WILLIAM MAYO.

types of automobiles. 

